Review of Rocco and His Brothers (1960) by Todd V — 05 Dec 2009

Visconti explores the dysfunction of a family this is to a fault bound to virtues of honor and tradition, and completely captures the whirlwind of being a part of the Parondi clan. This Shakespearean-esque melodrama begs the question, to what extent should blood ties remain bonded; does kinship truly warrant unbreakable loyalty and forgiveness? Simone takes advantage of everyone around him while suffering no consequences by riding on the labels of 'brother' and 'son'.

At the other end of the spectrum is Rocco, unyieldingly loyal and forgiving, but one wonders if Rocco's submission and devotion to Simone only makes matters worse. For example, could Nadia's fate have been different had Simone been turned in for stealing? We'll never really know.

Representing the middle ground, Ciro's analogy of separating a bad seed before it spoils the rest of the pod seems to make most sense, however, such logic is easier said than done when it comes to family.